Hand dryer

ABSTRACT

A hand dryer includes: a housing that internally includes a draft passage connected to a high pressure air source; and a nozzle that is provided at a side of the housing and ejects air flowing through the draft passage in a fan shape.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a hand dryer.

BACKGROUND

A hand dryer that dries wet hands after washing has been widely used.For example, a hand dryer described in Patent Literature 1 extends overa sink and uses an air-knife to mechanically wipe water from a user'shands. This hand dryer includes two elongate air-knife dischargeoutlets. Each of the discharge outlets is connected to an air supply anddischarges the air-knife down onto the hand of the user. The air-knifedischarge outlets are arranged side by side over a basin of the sink.Each air-knife discharge outlet extends along a part of the hand dryerthat is arranged at a dihedral angle such that an inboard end of theair-knife discharge outlet is below an outboard end of the air-knifedischarge outlet.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: Japanese Translation of PCT International    Application Laid-open No. 2015-523127 (paragraph [0012], FIGS. 3 to    6 )

SUMMARY Technical Problem

The user of the hand dryer described in Patent Literature 1 inserts thehands between the parts of the hand dryer that are provided with theair-knife discharge outlets and the basin of the sink and dries thehands under the parts of the hand dryer. In this case, there is aproblem that the parts of the hand dryer are obstructive, making itdifficult for the user to see how well his or her hands are dried anddegrading user-friendliness.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentionedproblems and to provide a user-friendlier hand dryer that enables aneasy check on how well hands are dried.

Solution to Problem

A hand dryer according to the present disclosure includes: a housinginternally including a draft passage connected to a high pressure airsource; and a nozzle adapted to eject air flowing through the draftpassage in a fan shape, the nozzle being provided at a side of thehousing.

Advantageous Effect of Invention

While hands are being dried with the hand dryer according to the presentdisclosure, an easy check can be made on how well the hands are dried,enabling better user-friendliness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side view of a hand dryer according to a firstembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hand dryer according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of a housing of the hand dryer according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section along line IV-IV of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a cross-section along line V-V of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for the hand dryer according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a right side view of a housing of a hand dryer according to asecond embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of a housing of a hand dryer according to athird embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a right side view of a housing as a first modification.

FIG. 10 is a right side view of a housing as a second modification.

FIG. 11 is a right side view of a housing as a third modification.

FIG. 12 is a cross-section along line XII-XII of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 13 is a right side view of a housing as a fourth modification.

FIG. 14 is a cross-section along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13 .

FIG. 15 is a right side view of a housing as a fifth modification.

FIG. 16 is a cross-section along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15 .

FIG. 17 is a right side view of a housing as a sixth modification.

FIG. 18 is a cross-section along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17 .

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the accompanying drawings, a description ishereinafter provided of embodiments. In the drawings, identical orcorresponding parts have the same reference characters.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a right side view of a hand dryer 1 according to a firstembodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hand dryer 1. FIG. 3 is a rightside view of a housing 20 of the hand dryer 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectionalong line IV-IV of FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a cross-section along line V-V ofFIG. 4 . FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the hand dryer 1 installed on awashstand 10.

The washstand 10 includes a washbowl 12. In the first embodiment, thewashstand 10 is installed on a wall WL. The washbowl 12 is formed in theshape of a bowl to receive and store water. The washbowl 12 has adrainage outlet 14 in a bottom. The drainage outlet 14 is connected to adrain pipe (not illustrated) underneath.

The washstand 10 also includes a water discharger 16. The waterdischarger 16 is disposed to discharge water toward an inner side of thewashbowl 12. In the first embodiment, the provided water discharger 16extends in a back-to-front direction X1. The back-to-front direction X1is a direction toward a side where a user who uses the washstand 10 is.The water discharger 16 is, for example, a faucet connected to a waterpipe. The water discharger 16 is passed through the washstand 10 and isconnected to a water supply that supplies the water to be discharged.The water discharger 16 includes a conventional sensor, a controlcircuit, and a solenoid valve that are not illustrated. As the sensordetects hands of the user, the solenoid valve opens automatically, andthe water is discharged from the water discharger 16.

The hand dryer 1 includes the housing 20 and a nozzle 40. The housing 20extends in the shape of a tube and internally includes a draft passage22 connected to a high pressure air source. The housing 20 extends abovethe washbowl 12 from an outer side of the washbowl 12. The housing 20according to the first embodiment is cylindrically formed and extendsabove the washbowl 12 in the back-to-front direction X1 from an upperpart of the washstand 10. A portion of the housing 20 that projects fromthe upper part of the washstand 10 is disposed near and in parallel withthe water discharger 16. In consideration of the user-friendliness, thehousing 20 has a projecting length set to range from about 100 mm to 300mm. The housing 20 is made of, for example, metal.

In the first embodiment, a blower 30 is provided as a high pressure airsource. The blower 30 is housed in a power unit case 32 providedadjacently to the wall WL. The blower 30 includes: a motor; and aturbofan that is rotated by the motor. The blower 30 is configured todraw in air from a suction opening not illustrated and produce highpressure air. The suction opening is provided with a detachable airfilter (not illustrated) that collects dust, dirt, and others in theair. The air filter may be, for example, a resin mesh, a metal mesh,another mesh, or a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter capableof collecting finer dust particles. The power unit case 32 also houses acontrol circuit 34 that performs operation control on the blower 30. Thecontrol circuit 34 is connected to the blower 30 by, for example, asignal line.

A discharge side of the blower 30 is connected to one end of an air duct36. Another end of the air duct 36 is connected to a base end 24 of thehousing 20. The air duct 36 is a tubular member having an interior thatallows the air to pass through. In the first embodiment, the air duct 36is passed through the wall WL and the upper part of the washstand 10 tobe connected to the base end 24 of the housing 20. The high pressure airproduced by the blower is supplied from the air duct 36 to a leading end26 of the housing 20 through the internal draft passage 22 of thehousing 20. The air duct 36 is molded from, for example, a flexibleresin.

The nozzle 40 is provided at sides 28 of the housing 20 and ejects theair flowing through the draft passage 22 in fan shapes. In the presentexemplary embodiment, the sides 28 refer to the sides 28 on a right anda left side of the back-to-front direction X1. The nozzle 40 is disposedat the leading end 26 of the housing above the washbowl 12. In otherwords, the nozzle 40 is disposed where the back-to-front direction X1points, forwardly of a middle position of the housing 20 along theback-to-front direction X1, and near a front edge 26 a of the leadingend 26. The nozzle 40 includes a right-hand nozzle 40A that blows airagainst the user's right hand and a left-hand nozzle 40B that blows airagainst the user's left hand. In the first embodiment, the right-handnozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B are arranged in a left-to-rightdirection X2 symmetrically with respect to a middle part of the leadingend 26 of the housing 20 along the left-to-right direction X2. Theleft-to-right direction X2 is orthogonal to the back-to-front directionX1 here.

The nozzle 40 includes air outlets 42 for ejecting the high pressure airsupplied through the draft passage 22. Each of the air outlets 42 is anopening providing communication between the draft passage 22 and anexterior of the housing 20. In the first embodiment, each air outlet 42is an elongate slit formed in the housing 20. Therefore, each air outlet42 has an outer opening edge 44 that is flush with an external surfaceof the housing 20. Each air outlet 42 has a slit length running in acircumferential direction of the housing 20 that has a circularcross-section. Each air outlet 42 formed in the housing 20 has onelengthwise slit edge at an upper position and another lengthwise slitedge at a lower position. Each air outlet 42 has a uniform slit width(transverse slit dimension) set to, for example, less than or equal to 2mm. With this configuration, the nozzle 40 is disposed slenderly likelines on a side surface of the housing 20, and the back-to-frontdirection X1 in which the housing 20 extends intersects the slit length,which indicates a longitudinal direction of the nozzle 40. In the firstembodiment in particular, the back-to-front direction X1 is orthogonalto a longitudinal direction of the slit. Each of heads 46 of the nozzle40 defines the outer opening edge 44 of the air outlet 42 and has ashape that bulges in an outward direction from an inner side of thehousing 20. Specifically, when viewed from a direction parallel to theback-to-front direction X1, each formed head 46 has the shape of an arc,bulging in the outward direction from the inner side of the housing 20.The head 46 of this shape causes the high pressure air to be ejectedfrom the air outlet 42 in the fan shape, spreading out like an open fan.

Ejection directions A1 of the air ejected in the fan shape from thenozzle 40 are within a range downward from a horizontal direction. Aspecific description is provided with reference to FIG. 4 . Since theright-hand nozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B are symmetrical inthe left-to-right direction X2, the right-hand nozzle 40A is describedbelow, and a description of the left-hand nozzle 40B is omitted. In FIG.4 , the left-to-right direction X2 is one horizontal direction, and atop-to-bottom direction X3 corresponds to a vertical direction. Thetop-to-bottom direction X3 is orthogonal to the back-to-front directionX1 and to the left-to-right direction X2. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , theejection directions A1 of the air from the right-hand nozzle 40A arewithin the downward range from the left-to-right direction X2 to thetop-to-bottom direction X3. Assuming an angle is 0° in the left-to-rightdirection X2 and increases downward from the left-to-right direction X2in the example of FIG. 4 , the ejection directions A1 of the air arewithin the range between 0° and 60°. Moreover, the ejection directionsA1 of the air are orthogonal to the back-to-front direction X1. In thiscase, an upper end 42 a of the air outlet 42 includes a plane parallelto the left-to-right direction X2, so the air is ejected in theleft-to-right direction X2 near the upper end 42 a. A lower end 42 b ofthe air outlet 42 includes a plane parallel to a direction inclineddownward at 60° to the left-to-right direction X2, so the air is ejectedin the direction that is inclined downward at 60° to the left-to-rightdirection X2 near the lower end 42 b. A length from the upper end 42 ato the lower end 42 b of the air outlet 42 is set smaller than a widthof the user's hand TE here. The ejection directions A1 of the air fromthe right-hand nozzle 40A may be within a range between, for example, 0°and 30°.

In order to eject the air in the fan shapes, the nozzle 40 includesangle determiners that each determines an angle over which the ejectedair spreads. The angle determiner determines edges of a fan-shapedexpanse of air. In the first embodiment, the upper end 42 a and thelower end 42 b of each air outlet 42 function as the angle determiner.Specifically, the plane of the upper end 42 a continuous with the outeropening edge 44 of the air outlet 42 is near the outer opening edge 44and is parallel to the left-to-right direction X2, and the most upwardejection direction A1 of the ejected air is along this plane of theupper end 42 a. With its plane, the upper end 42 a thus determines anupper limit for the fan-shaped expanse of air. The plane of the lowerend 42 b continuous with the outer opening edge 44 of the air outlet 42is near the outer opening edge 44 and is parallel to the direction thatis inclined downward at 60° to the left-to-right direction X2, and themost downward ejection direction A1 of the ejected air is along thisplane of the lower end 42 b. With its plane, the lower end 42 b thusdetermines a lower limit for the fan-shaped expanse of air. The angleover which the air ejected from the nozzle 40 spreads is determined byan angle formed by the plane of the upper end 42 a and the plane of thelower end 42 b. The plane of the upper end 42 a and the plane of thelower end 42 b have such a positional relation that these planes comecloser to each other in a direction away from the outer opening edge 44,that is to say, in the direction closer to the inner side of the housing20. The angle that is formed by the plane of the upper end 42 a and theplane of the lower end 42 b is 60°. Therefore, although there is somediffusion, the air ejected from the nozzle 40 spreads in the fan shapeover an angle of about 60°.

The housing 20 also includes, between the right-hand nozzle 40A and theleft-hand nozzle 40B, a brace 48 that does not allow the air to beejected. The brace 48 is provided in a vertically lower part of thehousing 20 between the right-hand nozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle40B.

The hand dryer 1 further includes a hand detector 50 that detectswhether or not the hands of the user who uses the hand dryer 1 arepresent. The hand detector 50 is provided forwardly of the nozzle 40 atthe housing 20. In other words, the hand detector 50 is disposed closerto the user than the nozzle 40 is. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the handdetector 50 is housed in a sensor housing 52 provided at the leading end26 of the housing 20 and is attached to the sensor housing 52 in thefirst embodiment. The hand detector 50 has a detection range that is setto enable the detection of the hand extended to the leading end 26 ofthe housing 20 from in front of the leading end 26. The hand detector 50includes a hand detector 50A for the right hand and a hand detector 50Bfor the left hand. The hand detector 50A for the right hand is disposedforwardly of and near the right-hand nozzle 40A. The hand detector 50Bfor the left hand is disposed forwardly of and near the left-hand nozzle40B.

The hand detector 50 is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensorand thus can be miniaturized. The hand detector 50 is connected to thecontrol circuit 34 by a cable 54. The cable 54 transmits a signal fromthe hand detector 50 to the control circuit 34. The sensor housing 52housing the hand detector 50 is disconnected from the draft passage 22of the housing 20. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the cable 54 extends fromthe sensor housing 52 to the control circuit 34, running through a wallbetween the sensor housing 52 and the draft passage 22, the draftpassage 22, and the air duct 36. A part where the cable 54 is passedfrom the sensor housing 52 into the draft passage 22 is sealed with acomponent that, made of rubber, silicone, or another material, preventscoming and going of the air between the sensor housing 52 and the draftpassage 22.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for the hand dryer 1. Upon detectingthe user's hand, the hand detector 50 outputs the signal to the controlcircuit 34. Upon receiving from the hand detector 50 the signal thatindicates that the hand has been detected, the control circuit 34outputs to the blower 30 a signal that operates the blower 30. Theblower 30 operates in accordance with the signal output from the controlcircuit 34 and produces high pressure air. The high pressure airproduced by the blower 30 is supplied from the air duct 36 to the nozzle40 through the draft passage 22 and is ejected from the air outlets 42.Output of the blower 30 is set to cause, for example, the air to beejected from the air outlets 42 at a speed of 80 m/s or higher. In thefirst embodiment, the two hand detectors 50A and 50B are provided forthe right and left hands as the hand detector 50, and in the setting,the blower 30 operates when either of the hand detector 50 has detectedthe user's hand.

As described above, the hand dryer 1 according to the first embodimentincludes the housing 20 that internally includes the draft passage 22connected to the high pressure air source and the nozzle 40 that isprovided at the sides 28 of the housing 20 and ejects the air flowingthrough the draft passage 22 in the fan shapes.

Providing the nozzle 40 at the sides 28 of the housing 20 as describedabove prevents a situation where the user has difficulty seeing theuser's hands that are, for example, under the housing 20, overlappingthe housing when drying the hands. Since the nozzle 40 ejects the air inthe fan shape, the ejected air flows with increasing width in adirection away from the nozzle 40. Therefore, with the airflow beingwider at a position away from the nozzle 40 than the user's hand TE, asillustrated in FIG. 4 , the hand is enabled to be dried well even at theposition away from the nozzle 40. Since the hand is thus enabled to bedried at the position away from the nozzle 40 without overlapping thehousing 20, an easy check can be made on how well the hand is driedwhile the hands are dried, enabling better user-friendliness.

The nozzle 40 includes the air outlets 42, each of which is the openingproviding the communication between the draft passage 22 and theexterior of the housing 20, and each head 46 of the nozzle 40 definesthe outer opening edge 44 of the air outlet 42 and has the shape thatbulges in the outward direction from the inner side of the housing 20.This configuration enables the air to be ejected in the fan shapes fromthe nozzle 40.

The length from the upper end 42 a, the uppermost end, to the lower end42 b, the lowermost end, of the air outlet 42 is shorter than the widthof the user's hand TE. Since the air is ejected in the fan shape fromthe nozzle in the first embodiment, the ejected air is enabled to flowwith increasing width in the direction away from the nozzle 40.Therefore, making the length from the uppermost end to the lowermost endof the air outlet 42 shorter than the width of the user's hand TEenables the nozzle 40 and the housing 20 to be smaller in size and thenthe generation of the airflow wider than the user's hand TE. With thehousing 20 thus being smaller in size, the range over which the usermoves the hand when drying the hands can be kept wider, furtherimproving the user-friendliness.

The outer opening edge 44 of the air outlet 42 is flush with theexternal surface of the housing 20. This configuration has the nozzle 40housed within external dimensions of the housing 20 without, forexample, having the nozzle 40 protrude from the external surface of thehousing 20, thus enabling the hand dryer 1 to be smaller in size.

The nozzle 40 is provided at the leading end 26 of the housing 20. Thisconfiguration has the nozzle 40 closer to the user, thus making the handdryer 1 user-friendlier.

The ejection directions A1 of the air from the nozzle 40 are within therange downward from the left-to-right direction X2, which is the onehorizontal direction. Since the air is not ejected upward from thenozzle 40, this configuration can prevent the ejected air from thenozzle 40 from directly blowing against a face or another part of theuser or blowing water droplets off the user's hands upward.

When the angle is 0° in the left-to-right direction X2 and increasesdownward from the left-to-right direction X2, the ejection directions A1are within the range between 0° and 60°. Since the nozzle 40 ejects theair in the fan shape within the range between 0° and 60°, the user isenabled to dry the hand, having the hand angled to easily see how wellthe hand is dried. Thus the hand dryer 1 is made user-friendlier.

The nozzle 40 includes the right-hand nozzle 40A and the left-handnozzle 40B, and the housing 20 includes, between the right-hand nozzle40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B, the brace 48 that does not allow theair to be ejected. Providing the right-hand nozzle 40A that ejects theair for drying the user's right hand and the left-hand nozzle 40B thatejects the air for drying the user's left hand in this way improves theuser-friendliness. Providing the brace 48 between the right-hand nozzle40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B creates an ejected air-free spacebetween the airflow from the right-hand nozzle 40A and the airflow fromthe left-hand nozzle 40B. This enables the user to sense and learn thatthe right-hand nozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B are providedseparately.

The brace 48 is provided in the vertically lower part of the housing 20between the right-hand nozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B. Usually,a receiving member, such as the washbowl 12, is disposed under thenozzle 40 of the hand dryer 1 to receive water droplets blown off theuser's hands by the air ejected from the nozzle 40. Providing the brace48 in the vertically lower part of the housing 20 between the right-handnozzle 40A and the left-hand nozzle 40B as in the first embodimentprevents a situation where the air is downwardly ejected directly fromthe vertically lower part of the housing 20, strikes against thereceiving member, and blows the water droplets that in turn wetsurroundings and the user.

The hand dryer 1 further includes, forwardly of the nozzle 40 at thehousing 20, the hand detector 50 that detect whether or not the handsare present. Because of being disposed forwardly of the nozzle 40 asdescribed above, the hand detector 50 is enabled to detect the user'shands ahead of the nozzle 40 when the user extends the hands to thenozzle 40 and cause the hand dryer 1 to operate. This results in nowaiting time before the air is ejected from the nozzle 40 when the userhas extended the hands to the nozzle 40, improving theuser-friendliness.

The hand dryer 1 further includes the washstand that includes thewashbowl 12. The housing 20 extends above the washbowl 12 from the outerside of the washbowl 12, and the nozzle 40 is disposed above thewashbowl 12. In this configuration, a space between the washbowl 12 andthe housing 20 above the washbowl 12 is where the user places and driesthe hands, and the air ejected from the nozzle 40 is blown against theuser's hands placed in this drying space to dry the hands. Since thehands are enabled to be dried at positions away from the nozzle 40without overlapping the housing 20 in the first embodiment, the user isenabled to be free to place the hands from any directions the user likeswithout interfering with the housing 20. Moreover, since there is noconcern about contact between the hands placed in the drying space andthe housing 20, the user is also enabled to freely move the hands duringdrying and dry the hands in a posture the user prefers. In this way, theuser-friendliness is enabled to improve.

The housing 20 extends in the shape of the tube, and the air is ejectedfrom the nozzle 40 in the fan shapes when viewed from the extendingdirection of the housing 20, that is to say, from the back-to-frontdirection X1 in the first embodiment. Typically, the housing 20 oftenextends toward the user, and in that case, the air is ejected in the fanshapes from the nozzle 40 when viewed from the user. This facilitatesthe user's insertion of the hand into the fan-shaped airflow ejectedfrom the nozzle 40, improving the user-friendliness. The nozzle 40 isdisposed slenderly like lines on the side surface of the housing 20, andthe back-to-front direction X1 in which the housing 20 extendsintersects the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 40. Since thelongitudinal direction of the nozzle 40 is thus at the predeterminedangle to the back-to-front direction X1 in which the housing 20 extends,the nozzle 40 is enabled to eject the air in a plane that intersects theback-to-front direction X1 at the predetermined angle.

In the first embodiment described above, the right-hand nozzle 40A andthe left-hand nozzle 40B are arranged in the left-to-right direction X2symmetrically with respect to the middle part of the leading end 26 ofthe housing 20 along the left-to-right direction X2, but are not limitedto this symmetrical arrangement in the left-to-right direction X2.

The sensor housing 52 may be detachable from the leading end 26 of thehousing 20. This facilitates assembly of the hand detector 50 and thesensor housing 52 and enables improved maintainability.

While the two hand detectors 50A and 50B are provided for the right andleft hands as the hand detector 50, this is not limiting. For example,only one of the hand detector 50, either the hand detector 50A for theright hand or the hand detector 50B for the left hand, may be provided.In another example, the single hand detector 50 may be provided at themiddle part of the leading end 26 of the housing 20 along theleft-to-right direction X2.

Second Embodiment

With reference to FIG. 7 , a description is provided next of a secondembodiment. FIG. 7 is a right side view of a housing 120 of a hand dryer101 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment,descriptions of parts similar to those in the first embodiment areomitted.

A nozzle 140 provided at the housing 120 according to the secondembodiment includes an air outlet 142 that is different in shape thanthe air outlet 42 of the nozzle 40 according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 7 , the air outlet 142 has a greater opening widthat an upper part than an opening width at a lower part. In the secondembodiment, the air outlet 142 is formed in the shape of a slit, so theopening width is a slit width. The slit width is greatest at an upperend 142 a of the air outlet 142, decreases in a direction toward a lowerend 142 b of the air outlet 142, and is smallest at the lower end 142 b.

Usually, a user extends a hand with a thumb at an upper position whendrying the hand with the hand dryer 101. Causing the air outlet 142 tohave the greater opening width at the upper part than the opening widthat the lower part as described above enables the air outlet 142 to ejectan increased air quantity from the upper part. Therefore, a part that isdifficult to dry, such as the thumb, is enabled to be exposed to theincreased air quantity, so effective hand drying is possible. Inaddition, since ejection of a decreased air quantity from the lower partof the air outlet 142 is enabled, a decreased quantity of air can bedirected toward the washbowl 12 disposed beneath, resulting in aweakened collision with the washbowl 12. This enables reduced noiseassociated with the collision between the air ejected from the nozzle140 and the washbowl 12, restrained movement of water droplets in thewashbowl 12, and a reduced quantity of air directed at a reduced speedtoward the user after the collision with the washbowl 12.

Third Embodiment

With reference to FIG. 8 , a description is provided next of a thirdembodiment. FIG. 8 is a right side view of a housing 220 of a hand dryer201 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment,descriptions of parts similar to those in the first embodiment areomitted.

A nozzle 240 provided at the housing 220 according to the thirdembodiment includes an air outlet 242 disposed differently from the airoutlet 42 of the nozzle 40 according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 8 , the disposed air outlet 242 comes to a frontposition as the air outlet 242 runs downward. In the third embodiment,the air outlet 242 is formed in the shape of a slit. When viewed from adirection parallel to the left-to-right direction X2, the air outlet 242extends in a straight line, and a longitudinal direction in which theair outlet 242 extends is inclined at a certain angle to thetop-to-bottom direction X3, which refers to the vertical direction. Theangle B1 at which the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 242 isinclined to the top-to-bottom direction X3 is acute and is set to withina range that is greater than 0° and 45° or smaller.

The water discharger 16 of the washstand 10 is at a height that is setto allow a user to be in an easy posture when inserting hands underneaththe water discharger 16 and washing the hands with water that isdischarged from the water discharger 16. Specifically, in a slightlystooping posture, the user inserts the hands underneath the waterdischarger 16 and washes the hands with the water discharged from thewater discharger 16. Usually, the housing 220 of the hand dryer 201 isdisposed on a nearby right side or a nearby left side of the waterdischarger 16 at a certain distance from the water discharger 16 and atgenerally the same height as the water discharger 16. Therefore, whenusing the hand dryer 201, the user also assumes the same slightlystooping posture as when using the water discharger 16. When the userextends the hands to the hand dryer 201 in this posture, the hands arepointed diagonally downward toward the wall WL. Therefore, disposing theair outlet 242 so that, as described above, the air outlet 242 comes tothe front position as the air outlet 242 runs downward enables ejectedair from the air outlet 242 to blow at an angle close to a right angleto back-and-forth movement of the user's hand, thus more effectivelyblowing water droplets off the user's hand and enabling improved dryingefficiency.

While the air outlet 242 extends in the straight line when viewed fromthe direction parallel to the left-to-right direction X2 in the thirdembodiment, this is not limiting. For example, the air outlet 242 mayextend in a curve when viewed from a direction parallel to theleft-to-right direction X2, provided that the air outlet 242 is disposedto come to a front position as the air outlet 242 runs downward.

Appropriate combinations, modifications, and omissions in theabove-described embodiments, too, are included in the scope of thetechnical concept presented in the embodiments.

For example, the air outlet of the nozzle is the single slit in theabove-described embodiments but is not limited to this. As in a nozzle340 provided at a housing 320 as a first modification illustrated inFIG. 9 , a plurality of air outlets 342 may be arranged side by side.FIG. 9 is a right side view of the housing 320. In the example of FIG. 9, the nozzle 340 includes two slit-shaped air outlets 342 arranged sideby side in the back-to-front direction X1.

The formed air outlet of the nozzle is slit-shaped in theabove-described embodiments but is not limited to this. As seen at ahousing 420 as a second modification illustrated in FIG. 10 , a nozzle440 may include a plurality of air outlets 442 that are small holesarranged in a line. FIG. 10 is a right side view of the housing 420. Inthe example of FIG. 10 , the nozzle 440 includes the plurality of airoutlets 442, which are the holes that are circular and arranged in theline. Compared with the slit shape, this configuration includes aconnective part between the small holes as openings, enabling the nozzle440 to have reinforced strength. The small holes are not limited to thecircular shapes and may be rectangular.

While the nozzle 40 according to the first embodiment includes theright-hand and left-hand nozzles 40A and 40B that are providedseparately, this is not limiting. As seen at a housing 520 as a thirdmodification illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 , a single nozzle 540 may beprovided, having a right-hand nozzle and a left-hand nozzle continuouswith each other. FIG. 11 is a right side view of the housing 520. FIG.12 is a cross-section along line XII-XII of FIG. 11 . In the example ofFIGS. 11 and 12 , the nozzle 540 includes an air outlet 542 that is asemicircular arc-shaped slit when viewed from a direction parallel tothe back-to-front direction X1. This configuration allows ejection ofair from the air outlet 542 to also take place right under the housing520, providing a wider range of air ejection. Therefore, improveduser-friendliness can be provided when a user dries not only hands butalso arms and other parts.

While the leading end of the housing extends in the back-to-frontdirection X1 in the above-described embodiments, this is not limiting.For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 , a housing 620 as afourth modification may be provided with a substantially L-shapedleading end 626 that extends in the back-to-front direction X1 and bendsin the top-to-bottom direction X3. FIG. 13 is a right side view of thehousing 620. FIG. 14 is a cross-section along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13 .In the example of FIGS. 13 and 14 , the leading end 626 of the housing620 extends in the shape of a cylinder in the top-to-bottom direction X3and has a leading edge part 627 that is formed in the shape of ahemisphere. A nozzle 640 is provided at sides 628 of the leading end 626of the housing 620. The nozzle 640 includes air outlets 642 in thehemisphere-shaped part of the leading end 626, and air is ejected fromthe air outlets 642 in fan shapes. Each of the air outlets 642 is formedin the shape of an elongate slit and extends linearly along thetop-to-bottom direction X3 when viewed from a direction parallel to theleft-to-right direction X2. The housing 620 is provided with a handdetector 650 at a position that is closer to a front edge 626 a of theleading end 626 than the nozzle 640 is and in front of the nozzle 640.

While the air outlet of the nozzle is formed at the external surface ofthe leading end of the housing in the above-described embodiments, thisis not limiting. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 , aleading end 726 of a housing 720 as a fifth modification may be providedwith a nozzle 740 that is formed separately from the housing 720 andprojects from an external surface of the leading end 726 of the housing720. FIG. 15 is a right side view of the housing 720. FIG. 16 is across-section along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15 . In the example of FIGS. 15and 16 , the nozzle 740 is provided at sides 728 of the leading end 726of the housing 720. The nozzle 740 includes air outlets 742 that areeach formed in the shape of an elongate slit and extend linearly alongthe top-to-bottom direction X3 when viewed from a direction parallel tothe left-to-right direction X2. The nozzle 740 includes head 746 thateach define an outer opening edge 744 of the air outlet 742. Each head746 is provided at an outwardly protrusive position compared with theexternal surface of the leading end 726 of the housing 720 and has ashape that bulges in an outward direction from an inner side of thehousing 720. Specifically, when viewed from a direction parallel to theback-to-front direction X1, each formed head 746 includes an arc,bulging in the outward direction from the inner side of the housing 720.The head 746 of this shape causes high pressure air to be ejected fromthe air outlet 742 in a fan shape, spreading out like an open fan. Theshape of the head 746 as viewed from the direction parallel to theback-to-front direction X1 is not limited the arc and may include ashape as a combination of plural curved lines, a shape as a combinationof a straight line and a curved line, or another shape, provided thatthe shape bulges in the outward direction from the inner side of thehousing 720.

Since the head 746 of the nozzle 740 that defines the outer opening edge744 of the air outlet 742 is provided at the outwardly protrusiveposition compared with the external surface of the housing 720 asdescribed above, the nozzle 740 is enabled to secure a sufficient lengthfrom the draft passage 22 to the outer opening edge 744 of the airoutlet 742. Since air passing through an interior of the nozzle 740 isrectified over a longer distance, the rectification of the air to beejected in the fan shape from the air outlet 742 is enabled to be morereliable.

While the housing that extends in the back-to-front direction X1 has acircular cross-sectional outline orthogonal to the back-to-frontdirection X1 in the above-described embodiments, this is not limiting.For example, the cross-sectional outline may be polygonal or elliptical,or of a shape that is a combination of plural curved lines, a shape thatis a combination of a straight line and a curved line, or another shape.For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 , a housing 820 as asixth modification may have an octagonal cross-sectional outlineorthogonal to the back-to-front direction X1. FIG. 17 is a right sideview of the housing 820. FIG. 18 is a cross-section along lineXVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17 . In the example of FIGS. 17 and 18, a nozzle 840is provided at sides 828 of a leading end 826 of the housing 820. Thenozzle 840 includes air outlets 842 that are each formed in the shape ofan elongate slit and extend linearly along the top-to-bottom directionX3 when viewed from a direction parallel to the left-to-right directionX2. Each of heads 846 of the nozzle 840 defines an outer opening edge844 of the air outlet 842 and has a shape that bulges in an outwarddirection from an inner side of the housing 820. Specifically, whenviewed from a direction parallel to the back-to-front direction X1, eachformed head 846 is substantially V-shaped, bulging in the outwarddirection from the inner side of the housing 820. The head 846 of thisshape causes high pressure air to be ejected from the air outlet 842 ina fan shape.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The hand dryer provided according to the present disclosure enables aneasy check on how well hands are dried while the hands are being dried.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1, 101, 201 hand dryer; 10 washstand; 12 washbowl; 14 drainage outlet;16 water discharger; 20, 120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620, 720, 820 housing;22 draft passage; 24 base end; 26, 626, 726, 826 leading end; 26 a, 626a front edge; 28, 628, 728, 828 side; 30 blower; 32 power unit case; 34control circuit; 36 air duct; 40, 140, 240, 340, 440, 540, 640, 740, 840nozzle; 40A right-hand nozzle; 40B left-hand nozzle; 42, 142, 242, 342,442, 542, 642, 742, 842 air outlet; 42 a, 142 a upper end; 42 b, 142 blower end; 44, 744, 844 outer opening edge; 46, 746, 846 head; 48 brace;50, 650 hand detector; 50A hand detector for right hand; 50B handdetector for left hand; 52 sensor housing; 54 cable; 627 leading edgepart; A1 ejection direction; B1 angle; TE hand; X1 back-to-frontdirection; X2 left-to-right direction; X3 top-to-bottom direction; WLwall.

1. A hand dryer comprising: a housing internally including a draftpassage connected to a high pressure air source; and a nozzle adapted toeject air flowing through the draft passage in a fan shape, the nozzlebeing provided at a side of the housing.
 2. The hand dryer according toclaim 1, wherein an ejection direction of the air from the nozzle iswithin a range downward from a horizontal direction.
 3. The hand dryeraccording to claim 2, wherein when an angle is 0° in the horizontaldirection and increases downward from the horizontal direction, theejection direction is within a range between 0° and 60°.
 4. The handdryer according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an air outletserving as an opening that provides communication between the draftpassage and an exterior of the housing, and the nozzle includes a headdefining an outer opening edge of the air outlet, the head having ashape that bulges in an outward direction from an inner side of thehousing.
 5. The hand dryer according to claim 4, wherein the air outlethas a shorter length from an uppermost end to a lowermost end than awidth of a hand of a user.
 6. The hand dryer according to claim 4,wherein the air outlet has a greater opening width at an upper part thanan opening width at a lower part.
 7. The hand dryer according to claim4, wherein the air outlet is disposed to come to a front position as theair outlet runs downward.
 8. The hand dryer according to claim 4,wherein the outer opening edge of the air outlet is flush with anexternal surface of the housing.
 9. The hand dryer according to claim 4,wherein the head is provided at an outwardly protrusive positioncompared with an external surface of the housing.
 10. The hand dryeraccording to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is provided at a leading end ofthe housing.
 11. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the nozzleincludes a right-hand nozzle and a left-hand nozzle, and the housingincludes, between the right-hand nozzle and the left-hand nozzle, abrace to not allow the air to be ejected.
 12. The hand dryer accordingto claim 11, wherein the brace is provided in a vertically lower part ofthe housing between the right-hand nozzle and the left-hand nozzle. 13.The hand dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a hand detectoradapted to detect whether or not a hand is present, the hand detectorbeing provided forwardly of the nozzle at the housing.
 14. The handdryer according to claim 1, further comprising a washstand including awashbowl, wherein the housing extends above the washbowl from an outerside of the washbowl, and the nozzle is disposed above the washbowl. 15.The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the housing extends in atubular shape, and the air is ejected from the nozzle in a fan shapewhen viewed from an extending direction of the housing.
 16. The handdryer according to claim 15, wherein the nozzle is disposed slenderlylike a line on a side surface of the housing, and the extendingdirection of the housing intersects a longitudinal direction of thenozzle.